The Guarantee: A Thought on Our Eternal Security in Christ

Are you a Christian who understands and believes the Gospel and follows Christ - but you still struggle with doubts about your salvation? 

Remember... Satan doesn't torment the unsaved with these kind of thoughts...only the saved. Ironically it’s proof that you are indeed saved. Keep going back to the promises of God in His Word!

"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:13-14

The Greek word “arrabona” is used 3 times in the New Testament (see below) and always of the Holy Spirit. It is translated as “guarantee”. Commentator William MacDonald explains:

 “Just as in legal matters a seal indicates ownership and security, so it does in Divine affairs… The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance. This is a downpayment, pledging that the full amount will be paid.” BBC p.1911

We are already fully children of God (being “born again”) but our full inheritance will be bestowed upon us when we are glorified in Heaven. 

MacDonald continues:

“As the seal, He (the Holy Spirit) guarantees that we ourselves will be kept safely for the inheritance. As the earnest (or pledge) He guarantees the inheritance will be kept securely for us.” BBC p.1911

Although we may stray at times, if we have been truly born again then God’s promise is clear – He will keep us for Heaven and Heaven for us! 

 “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

"He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight." 

2 Corinthians 5:5-6

My Story of Dealing with Depression & Anxiety (As a Christian) - 2020 Update

There are 5 parts to this article. 

1) A small introduction
2) A brief explanation of the causes of depression and anxiety
3) My story of dealing with depression
4) My story of dealing with anxiety (specifically Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
5) Different ways we can help to treat depression and anxiety

Introduction

I think the first thing I would like to say is that mental health is everyone’s business. Everyone has a mind and therefore everyone is susceptible to mental illness at times. Whether it is in the form of depression, anxiety or psychosis; whether it is mild or major; whether it is temporary or permanent – it can affect you or someone you love.

I hope my story helps all kinds of people but I am choosing to tell it from the perspective of my Christian faith. This is because I think there can be some extra things that a person of faith has to understand and deal with when it comes to mental health. Society has progressed by leaps and bounds in destigmatizing mental health since I was young and the Church is doing better as well – but there is still work to be done.

I hope my personal story of dealing with depression and anxiety (specifically Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) will help other people going through similar things. Before I get into my testimony though, I’d like to help answer an important question:

What Causes Depression and Anxiety?

There are different types of depression and anxiety (D/A) and also different causes. Everyone experiences depression and anxiety to some degree; however, it is when depression or anxiety began to cripple your normal daily life that they are to be taken more seriously and should be addressed accordingly. 

Some causes of D/A are circumstantial, that is, based on your life experience. Such causes could include trauma, financial stress, relationship conflict or loss of a loved one. The other kind of cause is more biologically based such as a chemical imbalance in the brain. In this case, your life could be going wonderfully but you would still feel D/A for no apparent reason. And, of course, D/A can be a combination of these two types of causes.

For me, one of the most important realizations about my own dealings with depression and anxiety was that I must work to separate the thoughts and feelings that D/A can produce from the reality of who God is and how He feels about me as an individual. God is good and He loves me which is shown by the fact that He both created me and redeemed me. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to make this distinction between God and your mental health!



My Story of Dealing with Depression

It is clear to me now that I have struggled with depression and anxiety since childhood but no one knew much about it in the 1980’s and 90’s. When I was a teenager I struggled deeply with depression but as a very devout Christian I took it all as spiritual (e.g. spiritual warfare or being chastised by the Lord) - never thinking it might be a biologically based mental illness. I would struggle in prayer with God for hours thinking I had done something wrong.

When I was 18 I had my first full blown breakdown but again I chalked it up to a spiritual thing and the people closest to me didn’t know what do although they cared deeply for me. I was (and am) also very good at hiding the struggle – putting on a mask of sorts so that others can’t see the pain. At this point I have to give a huge shout out to my parents who, though they were probably bewildered and frustrated, never gave up on me. They supported me unconditionally every step of the way and I have no idea where I would be with them.

My next breakdown came when I was in my early twenties. I was still treating it as a completely spiritual problem but this time I learned my first hard-truth lesson about mental illness. It was actually the wife of my elderly pastor who said:

“I don’t think this is oppression (spiritually based) 

but depression (medically based)”. 

Wiser words may have never been spoken. You see as Christians we often want to put everything into a spiritual box and just pray it away. Am I saying I don’t think we should pray about mental health? Of course not! Prayer is the only thing that gets me through some days.

But even the most pharisaical Christian would be inclined to get medical attention should they break their leg – mental illness properly understood is no different. 

After admitting I had depression I began to realize how many others who had gone before me had also suffered with it. Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, fought with serious depression and preached on it. Winston Churchill described it as the “Black Dog” that beset him. Another has said it was “the beast that lay on my chest at night and rode my back during the day”.

Now having said this I have to tell you a little story. I was young but had firm opinions about so-called mental illness and the medications that went with it. This was brought to the forefront one day when I was preaching at my little church in Prince George. I was speaking about the joy of the Lord, I believe, when in my youthful fervor I exclaimed: “We don’t need Prozac to be happy – that is just a crutch. The Lord alone will make us happy”. 

Well apparently that night one of the dear “mom-like” ladies had brought her brother to church and it was the first time in a long time for him. It turns out this man was on Prozac and I had greatly hurt and offended him. Although I still didn’t believe in mental illness or the drugs for it, I realized I had to apologize for what I had said and the way I had said it. So I made the difficult phone call and he graciously accepted my apology.

But that is not where the irony ends my friends! For it was not long after this that I experienced that second breakdown, that my pastor’s wife had suggested depression and for the first time in my life was I was open to hear about it. With an entirely new perspective on life (I had quite an experience with God – learning about pride, humility and grace but that is another story), I went to my doctor and he had me fill out a questionnaire on depression. I was finally ready to be honest with my answers and I scored off-the-chart for severe clinical depression. I tried a series of different drugs until at last one seemed to help – it’s called fluoxetine, otherwise known as Prozac.

God indeed has a great sense of humour.


My Story of Dealing with Anxiety (Specifically Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) 

After this difficult times in my teens and early twenties, I had a bit of a renaissance in my life and was quite healthy for a while. However, there was more to come. About the age of 25 I began to become increasingly anxious and obsessive and soon another breakdown hit me. This time my diagnosis was a bit more specific. As well as depression, I discovered that I had a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

OCD is classified as an Anxiety Disorder and many people associate it with constant hand washing or just liking things in a certain order but there are many forms. In serious OCD, whatever is most precious to you is what the OCD will attack – giving you unpleasant and unwanted thoughts that won’t go away until you perform some sort of compulsion (whether it be mental or physical). But the cycle of obsessive thoughts is only made worse by performing these illogical compulsions. I won’t go into all the details but the things I tend to obsess over are spiritual things as are the compulsions that follow. It often focuses on the fear of losing my salvation over the tiniest thing and it brings great distress.

I was diagnosed with this while dating my now-wife, Sherry. She experienced it first hand and stood by me all the way. She even chose to marry me having seen what this was like. However the worst was yet to come… after a few months of wedded bliss, it hit me again. The next 2 months were at times indescribably horrible, some of the worst times of my life and now I was dragging someone through it with me. Although not hospitalized, I spent about a month in a mental health transition house. My wife and I made the difficult and (to me) humiliating decision for me to enter this facility. We met with a psychiatrist at this house (who I later found out was a Christian) and she prescribed some more medication.

As my wife left to go back to our rental suite and I entered into my little room at the transition house where I would spend the next month – I broke down in tears and they did not stop for most of my stay there. I can only imagine what my wife went through as I was rendered useless as a husband. I thank God for her so much – her unshakeable faithfulness to me is something I will never forget.

One thing I’d like to mention here is the difference between “diagnosing” and “labeling”. Many people cringe at the thought of being “labeled” with a mental disease or disorder. However, diagnosing is not labeling – please know the difference. Correct diagnosis can free people because the truth frees people. The root problem is treated and the symptoms lessen or disappear altogether. In contrast, labeling ignores the root problem and only brings the person down further – they often even tend to become more like the label.

Once again when I admitted I had an issue with OCD I began to realize that other present and historical figures did as well including the great Reformer, Martin Luther, and the famed author of the Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan. The ultimate lesson I learned through that time though was simple but profound. God taught me – I would dare say He told me –

“Separate Me from your mental illness. We are not one and the same thing – I am not the voice in your head that is angry with you – believe the Truth, not your feelings or thoughts”. 

This was a powerful shift in my beliefs and thinking and it began the process of gaining some victory over this insidious disease.


What Are Some of the Way We can Help Treat Depression and Anxiety?

I want to clarify that I believe in and understand the Biblical reality of both spiritual warfare (e.g. Ephesians 6) and the discipline of the Lord (e.g. Hebrews 12). These things are still part of my life but the key to it all is properly discerning what the root cause is of your troubles. Only a true diagnosis will help set you free. 

So the very first thing a person should do if they are struggling with depression and/or anxiety is to talk! Find a wise and trusted family member or friend and get all of that junk out of your heart and mind and into the light.

If you are dealing with a more serious degree of illness then I highly advise that you also see a professional such as your family doctor, a registered counsellor or psychiatrist. And if that professional recommends that you take some medication for your illness then you need to know that that is okay. There is absolutely nothing immoral or unbiblical about taking medicine for mental health issues. Ultimately this is a personal choice between you and your doctor but don’t ever close the door to medication.

In addition to talking and, in some case, medicine, the Antidepressant Skills Workbook suggest these 4 areas that a person needs to look at when dealing with mental health issues:

1) Doing rewarding activities. We cease to engage in the simple things of life that we normally enjoy.

2) Taking care of yourself. Sleep, diet, exercise and personal hygiene can all fall into negative patterns.

3) Doing small duties. We often have the mindset that if we can’t do it “all” or “perfectly” then don’t bother at all. For the person with D/A it is imperative to realize that we must start with small duties (or “Tiny Tasks”) and build on them to get healthier day by day.

4) Don’t withdraw from family and friends. This isn’t just about being an introvert but rather confining oneself to social isolation. From a Christian perspective, it is important to remember that the way that the “Wolf” destroys the “Sheep” is by separating it from its Shepherd and its flock. Don’t let yourself fall into this trap!

I would also add to this that getting out in nature - God’s creation - is a wonderfully helpful thing. The sun does wonders for depression and if there isn’t much of it around then I recommend getting a professional sunlight lamp for your home.

In conclusion, I would say that for me depression and anxiety seem to be both major and permanent in my life. That does not mean that I cannot live a victorious life but it does mean that I will continue to battle with these illnesses. In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul talks about a “thorn in the flesh” that God allowed in his life to help from becoming prideful. He goes on to say:

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, 

so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, 

persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

May we all, especially in the Church, acknowledge and began to understand mental health. May we pray for and assist our brothers and sisters who struggle with it. And, using these tools, may God help us to live victorious lives amid the struggle – we know His grace is sufficient!

Ad Fontes: 5 Thoughts on the Supremacy of Scripture

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8

Ad Fontes

Ad Fontes is Latin for “(back) to the sources” or “to the fountains”. It was a rallying cry of both the Renaissance and the Reformation. Its purpose was to encourage people to go back to the original writings (in the case of the Reformers that meant the Bible – especially the original Greek and Hebrew). 

“The idea in both cases was that sound knowledge depends on the earliest and most fundamental sources.” Wikipedia

As Os Guiness has said: 

“The Church always goes forward best by going backwards. The surest way to go forwards is always to look back to the thing that gave you your life in the first place.” As the Church we are always to look to Jesus Christ, the Scriptures and the Gospel written therein. 


Psalm 42

Interestingly, this phrase, “Ad Fontes”, appears in Psalm 42 of Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible:

“As a deer pants for flowing streams (is drawn unto the sources), so pants my soul for you, O God.” Psalm 42:1 ESV

In fact, there is some evidence that suggests that the Spanish Renaissance actually got the expression from Psalm 42!


The Renaissance

In his book “How Should We Then Live?” Evangelical author Francis Shaeffer (1912-1984) talks about the Renaissance and the Reformation. 

“Boccacio… learned Greek in order to study the classics better. His translation of Homer was one of the foundation stones of the Renaissance, reviving Greek literature after seven hundred years of neglect.” p.60

Shaeffer points out that while the Renaissance started out promising with its Ad Fontes mentality, it eventually led to nothing more than the false notion of secular humanism (where man was the centre of the universe and within him lay all that which was needed to perfect society). In contrast, the Reformation took its Ad Fontes mentality back to the Bible upon which it founded all teaching, morality and meaning. 


The Reformation 

The Reformation officially began when Martin Luther nailed his “Ninety-five Theses” to the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany on October 31, 1517. As the Renaissance in the south of Europe was closing, the Reformation in the north of Europe was about to explode. 
One of the tenants of the Reformers was Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone). Shaeffer explains a bit what this means:

“That is, man needs not only a God who exists, but a God who has spoken in a way that can be understood.” p.81

“To the Reformation thinkers, authority was not divided between the Bible and the church. The church was under the teaching of the Bible – not above it and not equal to it. It was Sola Scriptura…” p.82

Some of the great artists who were to be strongly influenced by the Reformation include Rembrandt, Handel, Bach and Albrecht Durer. Durer, in fact, was so concerned about applying Ad Fontes and the Bible he wrote in his diary that “… the delicious Word of God is wrongly exegeted (or interpreted) or not at all taught in many places.” p..95

Durer goes on to write this prayer:

“Oh God in heaven, have mercy on us. Oh Lord Jesus Christ, 

pray for your people, deliver us at the right time, preserve in us the right true Christian faith, gather your widely scattered sheep by your voice, which is called the Word of God in Scripture.” p.95

“The Descent from the Cross” (c. 1508-1510), Albrecht Dürer, woodcut from “The Small Passion”

The Reformation was far from perfect but, like Durer, it recognized that the true Christian faith will always line up with the Holy Scriptures. 


An Important Caveat

As Reformed Theologian Robert Letham reminds us:

“[There is a] false notion, held widely, that the slogan sola Scriptura means that the Bible is the only source for theology. . . When the slogan [sola Scriptura, Scripture alone] was devised, it was never intended to exclude the tradition of the church.” 

The Reformers did not mean to do away with this “church tradition” but rather to make sure it was subordinate to and in agreement with Holy Scripture. This is exactly what the Bereans did when they heard Paul:

“Now these Jews (in Berea) were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed…” Acts 17:11-12a

To clarify, here the idea of the “tradition of the church” is not meant to refer to man-made traditions such as the Apostle Peter refutes (1 Peter 1:18) but rather the body of theology, doctrinal creeds and confessions (i.e. statements of faith) and collective wisdom that the Church has cultivated over 2000 years. We must remember that it was the early church with whom God entrusted the discovery and compilation of the canon of the New Testament itself! 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

The Bible is always our supreme source and it has the final say on all matters -  but to ignore these other things, and the men and women of God who went before us, is both arrogant and unwise. 

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:1-2

5 Thoughts on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy & the Bible (Depression & Anxiety)

A pastor friend of mine has a favourite Bible verse that he reminds his congregation of often:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

The principle of guarding what one lets in and out of one’s heart (and/or mind) is a recurring theme in the Scriptures and it just so happens that psychology agrees with that principle in at least one area – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). As a person who has suffered severely from both depression and anxiety, CBT has been a huge blessing in my life and I would love to share the basics of it with you. 

If you would like to read or hear my personal story please click here.

To read the Antidepressant Skills Workbook (which inspired this article) click here. 

If you are interested in how CBT can help people with 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder click here. 

1) What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy?

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (or CBT) is a scientifically proven therapy for helping people with depression, anxiety and other issues. You’ll find that it is really quite practical and based in common sense. What you’ll also find (maybe to your surprise) is that it is very Biblical. It’s not that psychological researchers set out to form a therapy based on the Bible but rather that the Bible, being God’s instruction book to those He created, is eminently practical. In short – the teachings of the Bible work in real life (and also into eternal life). 

CBT works on the basic principle that: Thoughts create Feelings, Feelings create Behaviours and Behaviours reinforce Thoughts and on the cycle goes. 

This cycle, of course can be positive or negative, depending on what you let in to your mind and heart. A wonderful workbook for Antidepressant CBT can be found for free online (link at top of the page) and I heartily recommend you take advantage of it for your personal gain as well as to help others. We’ll look at how CBT works and how it aligns with Scripture in a moment but first let’s answer another question…

2) What Causes Depression and Anxiety?

There are different types of depression and anxiety (D/A) and also different causes. Everyone experiences depression and anxiety to some degree and therefore, Mental Health is everyone’s business and CBT can be for everyone’s benefit. However, it is when depression or anxiety began to cripple your normal daily life that they are taken more seriously and should be addressed accordingly*. 

Some causes of D/A are circumstantial, that is, based on your life experience. Such causes could include trauma, financial stress, relationship conflict or loss of a loved one. The other kind of cause is more biologically based such as a chemical imbalance in the brain. In this case, your life could be going wonderfully but you would still feel D/A for no apparent reason. And, of course, D/A can be a combination of these two types of causes. 

For me, one of the most important realizations about my own dealings with depression and anxiety was that I must work to separate the thoughts and feelings that D/A can produce from the reality of who God is and how He feels about me as an individual. God is good and He loves me which is shown by the fact that He both created me and redeemed me. He is not the “voice” in my head that is angry and disappointed with me all the time – that is D/A **. 

Now let’s look at the three parts of CBT: Thoughts, Feelings and Behaviours. 

3) Thoughts

People who suffer with D/A often have a distorted way of viewing life. In the Antidepressant Skills Workbook this is described as The Negative Triad: “…thinking in an unfair and unrealistic, negative way about your current situation, yourself, and your future.”

I think it is important to clarify here that CBT is not the same thing as “The Positive Thinking Secret” or “The Law of Attraction”. CBT is based on scientific research and rationality. It focuses on fair and realistic thinking as opposed to either overly negative or overly positive thinking. 

When we turn to the Bible to see what it says about our thoughts we see verses like Proverbs 23:7 which can be translated as “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” That pretty much sums up CBT where thoughts turn into feelings which turn into behaviours which reinforce the original thoughts.

Another fascinating passage of Scripture that reinforces a positive mindset is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippian church:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”   Philippians 4:8-9

4) Feelings

Feelings are valid but they are not trustworthy. They matter but they are not a good indicator of truth or reality. The Antidepressant Skills Workbook puts it this way:

“It may be hard to think about emotions as unrealistic. But imagine a person who firmly believes that airplane travel is extremely dangerous and that planes are falling out of the sky frequently. That person will feel very frightened when flying. This fear, however, is based on a false belief about airplane safety and is, therefore, unrealistic and inappropriate to the situation. Similarly, depressed individuals often have beliefs about the world and themselves that are unrealistic and lead to unrealistic, negative emotions.” 

Jesus (in Luke’s Gospel 6:45) describes the principle of how the thoughts and feelings we have inside of us eventually come out. 

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” 

It is not a stretch to realize this principle applies to behaviors as well as words. 

5) Behaviours

We just read how thoughts and feelings come out as behaviours (whether positively or negatively). CBT tells us that our behaviours reinforce the original thoughts we had and therefore continue the cycle. If we are in a negative cycle how can we help break it by positive behaviours? 

The Antidepressant Skills Workbook describes 4 areas of behavior that negatively affects us:

1) Not doing rewarding activities. We cease to engage in the simple things of life that we normally enjoy. 

2) Not taking care of yourself. Sleep, diet, exercise and personal hygiene can all fall into negative patterns. 

3) Not doing small duties. We often have the mindset that if we can’t do it “all” or “perfectly” then don’t bother at all. For the person with D/A it is imperative to realize that we must start with small duties (or “Tiny Tasks”) and build on them to get healthier day by day. 

4) Withdrawing from family and friends. This isn’t just about being an introvert but rather confining oneself to social isolation. From a Christian perspective, it is important to remember that the way that the “Wolf” destroys the “Sheep” is by separating it from its Shepherd and its flock. Don’t let yourself fall into this trap! 

If you look back at the “Thoughts” segment and read Philippians 4:8-9 again you will see that at the end, the Apostle Paul urges us to not only think about positive things but then to put them into “practice”. Our behaviours can alter the way we think and feel and stop the negative cycle of depressive or anxious thinking. 

I hope and pray that this introduction to CBT (and the Bible’s teachings) will be a real blessing to you and to those who come across your path.  

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal 

of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, 

what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

*For more serious and long lasting cases of depression and/or anxiety one should seek out professional help and diagnosis immediately. That could mean your family doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist. In addition to CBT, your doctor may also recommend medication which is perfectly acceptable.

** Christians also recognize a separate but overlapping reality of what we call “Spiritual Warfare”. This is when the Devil wars against our minds and hearts as well. For more on how to deal with this type of attack please read Ephesians chapter 6. However, please understand that spiritual warfare is a separate thing from clinical depression or anxiety that is caused by a biological root such as a chemical imbalance in the brain.